Disney has announced that Harryhausen's will become a new table-service restaurant in Monstropolis at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The restaurant will replace Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano and is planned as part of the first phase of Monstropolis' 2027 opening.
The big dining detail is more than a themed sign. Disney says a new Audio-Animatronics version of Harryhausen, the many-tentacled sushi chef from Monsters, Inc., will work inside the restaurant. Disney has also said the menu will offer more than sushi, though it has not released dishes, prices, allergy information, or reservation details.
Key details
- Harryhausen's is planned for Monstropolis at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
- It will replace the former Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano.
- Disney says it will be a table-service restaurant.
- A sushi-chef Audio-Animatronics figure is planned for the dining room.
- Disney says the menu will include more than sushi.
- The restaurant is part of Monstropolis' initial 2027 phase; no exact opening date is announced.
A restaurant pulled from Monsters, Inc.
Harryhausen's is the upscale restaurant featured in Pixar's Monsters, Inc., where Mike Wazowski and Celia attempt a birthday dinner before Boo's arrival turns the room upside down. Disney's new version will bring that fictional restaurant into the park as a real dining location.
For Hollywood Studios guests, the change is notable because it replaces an existing table-service option rather than adding a restaurant in an entirely new expansion area. That means Monstropolis' dining footprint will be part of the park's familiar former Muppets Courtyard area, but with a substantially different theme and experience.
Disney's confirmation that Harryhausen himself will appear as an Audio-Animatronics figure suggests the restaurant will be designed as an experience, not simply a counter-service stop with a movie reference. Still, Disney has not explained where the figure will be located, how visible it will be from every table, or whether it will operate continuously during meal periods.
What the menu announcement does and does not tell us
The name naturally points guests toward sushi, and Disney has confirmed that the restaurant's chef character will prepare monster-inspired creations. But Disney has also made a point of saying the menu will include more than sushi.
That is useful reassurance for mixed groups, children, guests with seafood preferences, and anyone who simply wants to keep future Hollywood Studios dining options open. It is not yet enough information to identify actual alternatives. Disney has not published sample entrées, plant-based offerings, children's meals, dessert details, beverage options, or pricing.
Until those facts arrive, it is best to treat Harryhausen's as a future table-service restaurant with a broad but unannounced menu, not as a sushi-only destination and not as a confirmed replacement for any specific dining style.
When guests can make plans
Harryhausen's is expected to open with Monstropolis' first 2027 phase, alongside the city thoroughfare and Welcome to Monstropolis show. Disney has not announced the date, season, reservation-opening window, or booking channel.
That leaves no current action for dining planners. There is not yet a reservation date to watch, and no reason to rearrange a 2026 trip around the restaurant. For 2027 visitors, especially those planning a Hollywood Studios table-service meal, Harryhausen's is a confirmed future choice worth keeping on the wish list while Disney fills in the calendar.
It is also separate from the land's door coaster, which Disney says will open later. Guests may be able to dine at Harryhausen's before the coaster begins welcoming riders.
For now, the most appetizing confirmed fact is also the simplest: Monstropolis will have a real table-service restaurant, a lively chef at work, and room on the menu for more than sushi.
